Taizo
A masculine Japanese name meaning "talented" or "gifted heir".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Taizo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Taizo today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Taizo births was 2007 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Taizo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Taizo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2007
5 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2013 SSA rank
#13,814
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Taizo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Taizo from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Taizo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Taizo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Taizo
The given name Taizo has its origins in Japan, where it is derived from the Japanese words "tai" meaning "great" and "zo" meaning "creation" or "craftsmanship." The name dates back to the Edo period (1603-1868) and was often used to denote a sense of admiration or respect for someone's skills or achievements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Taizo can be found in the historical records of the Tokugawa shogunate, where it was used to refer to a skilled artisan or craftsman. It is said that the name was bestowed upon those who demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication to their craft, whether it be in the fields of pottery, woodworking, or metalsmithing.
In the realm of Japanese literature, the name Taizo appears in several works from the late Edo period and early Meiji era (1868-1912). One notable example is the novel "Taizo no Keifu" (The Lineage of Taizo) by Futabatei Shimei, which tells the story of a skilled swordsmith and his family's legacy.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Taizo. One of the most famous was Taizo Hirose (1891-1965), a Japanese entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Hirose Electric Company, a major producer of electrical equipment and machinery.
Another prominent figure was Taizo Nishikawa (1904-1980), a Japanese painter and printmaker who was renowned for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese life and culture.
In the field of sports, Taizo Kawano (1913-1985) was a Japanese sumo wrestler who achieved the prestigious rank of ozeki, the second-highest rank in professional sumo.
Taizo Yokoyama (1884-1948) was a Japanese military officer who played a significant role in the Russo-Japanese War and later served as the Governor-General of Korea during the Japanese occupation.
Lastly, Taizo Sumimura (1923-2010) was a Japanese architect and designer who was known for his innovative and modernist designs, including the Tokyo Opera City and the Saitama Super Arena.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Taizo, a name that has come to symbolize excellence, skill, and craftsmanship in Japanese culture.
People
Taizo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Taizo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Taizo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Taizo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Taizo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Taizo a common name?
We classify Taizo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Taizo most popular?
The single biggest year for Taizo was 2007, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Taizo is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Taizo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Taizo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Taizo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Taizo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Taizo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Taizo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Taizo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Taizo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.